July 24
Events *1132 - Battle of Nocera between Ranulf II of Alife and Roger II of Sicily. *1411 - Battle of Harlaw, one of the bloodiest battles on Scottish soil. *1487 - Citizens of Leeuwarden, Netherlands strike against ban on foreign beer. *1534 - French explorer Jacques Cartier planted a cross on the Gaspé Peninsula and took possession of the territory in the name of the King Francis I of France. *1567 - Mary Queen of Scots is deposed and replaced by her 1 year old son James VI. *1701 - Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded trading post at Fort Pontchartrain, which later becomes the city of Detroit. *1814 - War of 1812: General Phineas Riall advances toward the Niagara River to halt Jacob Brown's American invaders. *1823 - Slavery is abolished in Chile *1832 - Benjamin Bonneville leads the first wagon train across the Rocky Mountains by using Wyoming's South Pass. *1847 - After 17 months of travel, Brigham Young leads 148 Mormon pioneers into Salt Lake Valley, resulting in the establishment of Salt Lake City. Celebrations of this event include the Pioneer Day Utah state holiday and the Days of '47 Parade. *1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Kernstown - Confederate General Jubal Early defeats Union army troops led by General George Crook in an effort to keep them out of the Shenandoah Valley. *1866 - Reconstruction: Tennessee becomes the first U.S. state to be readmitted to the Union following the American Civil War. *1901 - O. Henry is released from prison in Austin after serving three years for embezzlement from a bank. *1911 - Hiram Bingham III re-discovers Machu Picchu "the Lost City of the Incas". *1915 - Passenger ship Eastland capsizes in central Chicago, with the loss of 845 lives. *1923 - The Treaty of Lausanne, settling the boundaries of modern Turkey, is signed in Switzerland by Greece, Bulgaria and other countries that fought in the First World War. *1924 - The World Chess Federation FIDE is founded in Paris. *1927 - The Menin Gate war memorial is unveiled at Ypres. *1929 - The Kellogg-Briand Pact, renouncing war as an instrument of foreign policy, goes into effect (it was first signed in Paris on August 27, 1928 by most leading world powers). *1931 - A fire at a home for aged people in Pittsburgh kills 48 people. *1935 - The world's first children's railway opens in Tbilisi, USSR. * 1935 - The dust bowl heat wave reaches its peak, sending temperatures to 109°F (44°C) in Chicago and 104°F (40°C) in Milwaukee. *1937 - Alabama drops rape charges against the so-called "Scottsboro Boys." *1943 - World War II: Operation Gomorrah begins: British and Canadian aeroplanes bomb Hamburg by night, those of the Americans by day. By the end of the operation in November, 9,000 tons of explosives will have killed more than 30,000 people and destroyed 280,000 buildings. *1956 - At New York City's Copacabana Club, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis perform their last comedy show together which started on July 25, 1946. * 1956 - Khartoum University College is awarded university status becoming the University of Khartoum. *1959 - At the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow, US vice president Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev have a "Kitchen Debate." *1965 - Vietnam War: Four F-4C Phantoms escorting a bombing raid at Kang Chi are the targets of antiaircraft missiles in the first such attack against American planes in the war. One is shot down and the other three sustain damage. *1966 - Michael Pelkey made the first BASE jump from El Capitan along with Brian Schubert. Both came out with broken bones. BASE jumping is now been banned from El Cap. *1967 - During an official state visit to Canada, French President Charles de Gaulle declares to a crowd of over 100,000 in Montreal: Vive le Québec libre! (Long live free Quebec!). The statement, interpreted as support for Quebec independence, delighted many Quebecers but angered the Canadian government and many English Canadians. *1969 - Apollo program: Apollo 11 splashes down safely in the Pacific Ocean. *1974 - Watergate Scandal: The United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled that President Richard Nixon did not have the authority to withhold subpoenaed White House tapes and they order him to surrender the tapes to the Watergate special prosecutor. * 1974 - After the Turkish invasion of Cyprus the Greek military junta collapses and democracy is restored. * 1977 - End of a four day long Libyan-Egyptian War. *1983 - George Brett, batting for the Kansas City Royals against the New York Yankees, has a game-winning home run nullified in the "Pine Tar Incident". *1985 - Gandhi signs peace contract with Sikh leader Harchand Singh Longowai *1990 - Iraqi forces start massing on the Kuwait/Iraq border. *1991 - Government of India announces the New Industrial Policy, marking the start of India's economic reforms. *1998 - Russell Eugene Weston Jr. bursts into the United States Capitol and opens fire killing two police officers. He is later ruled to be incompetent to stand trial. *2001 - Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the last Tsar of Bulgaria when he was a child, was sworn in as Prime Minister of Bulgaria, and became the only monarch in history to regain political power through democratic election to a different office. * 2001 - The Taiwan Solidarity Union is established. *2002 - James Traficant is expelled from the United States House of Representatives on a vote of 420 to 1. *2005 - Lance Armstrong wins his seventh consecutive Tour de France. *2007 - Libya frees all six of the Medics in the HIV trial in Libya. Births *1660 - Charles Talbot, English politician (d. 1718) *1725 - John Newton, English cleric and hymnist (d. 1807) *1757 - Vladimir Borovikovsky, Russian painter (d. 1825) *1783 - Simón Bolívar, South American liberator (d. 1830) *1786 - Joseph Nicollet, French mathematician and explorer (d. 1843) *1794 - Johan Georg Forchhammer, Danish geologist (d. 1865) *1802 - Alexandre Dumas, French writer (d. 1870) *1803 - Adolphe Charles Adam, French composer (d. 1856) *1821 - William Poole, Infamous member of New York City's Bowery Boys gang (d. 1855) *1826 - Ivan Bloch, military theorist and peace activist (d. 1902) *1851 - Friedrich Schottky, German mathematician (d. 1935) *1853 - William Gillette, American actor and author (d. 1937) *1856 - Charles Émile Picard, French mathematician (d. 1941) *1857 - Henrik Pontoppidan, Danish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1943) *1860 - Alfons Mucha, Czech artist (d. 1939) *1864 - Frank Wedekind, German writer (d. 1918) *1867 - Edward Frederic Benson, English writer (d. 1940) *1874 - Oswald Chambers, Christian writer (d. 1917) *1877 - Calogero Vizzini, Sicilian mafioso (d. 1954) *1878 - Lord Dunsany, Irish writer (d. 1957) *1880 - Ernest Bloch, Swiss composer (d. 1959) * 1880 - Kristian Hellström, Swedish athlete (d. 1946) *1895 - Robert Graves, English author (d. 1985) *1897 - Amelia Earhart, American aviator (disappeared 1937) *1899 - Chief Dan George, Meti actor (d. 1981) *1900 - Zelda Fitzgerald, American artist, wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (d. 1948) *1904 - Leo Arnaud, French-American composer (d. 1991) *1908 - Cootie Williams, American trumpeter (d. 1985) *1910 - Harry Horner, American art director (d. 1994) *1914 - Ed Mirvish, Canadian businessman, philanthropist and theatrical impresario (d. 2007) *1916 - John D. MacDonald, American novelist, (d. 1986) *1917 - Robert Farnon, Canadian-born conductor, composer, and arranger (d. 2005) *1918 - Ruggiero Ricci, American violinist *1919 - Ferdinand Kübler, Swiss cyclist *1920 - Bella Abzug, U.S. Congresswoman from New York (d. 1998) *1922 - Madeleine Ferron, French Canadian writer *1931 - Ermanno Olmi, Italian director * 1931 - Éric Tabarly, French sailor (d. 1998) *1933 - Doug Sanders, American golfer * 1933 - John Aniston, American Actor *1935 - Pat Oliphant, Australian political cartoonist *1936 - Ruth Buzzi, American actress and comedian * 1936 - Mark Goddard, American actor *1938 - Eugene J. Martin, American painter, artist *1940 - Stanley Hauerwas, American theologian * 1940 - Dan Hedaya, American actor *1942 - Chris Sarandon, American actor *1945 - Azim Premji, Indian businessman *1947 - Robert Hays, American actor * 1947 - Peter Serkin, American pianist * 1947 - Zaheer Abbas, Pakistani cricketer *1949 - Michael Richards, American comedian * 1949 - Yves Duteil, French singer and songwriter *1951 - Lynda Carter, American actress * 1951 - Chris Smith, British politician *1952 - Gus Van Sant, American film director *1955 - Andrzej Łuczak, Polish stucco decorator, painter, photographer *1956 - Charles Crist, Governor of Florida * 1956 - Pat Finn, American game show host and producer *1957 - Pam Tillis, American singer *1961 - Kerry Dixon, former English footballer *1963 - Paul Geary, American musician (Extreme) * 1963 - Julie Krone, American jockey * 1963 - Karl Malone, American basketball player *1964 - Barry Bonds, American baseball player * 1964 - PJ Phillips, British musician *1964 - Banana Yoshimoto, Japanese author *1965 - Kadeem Hardison, American actor * 1965 - Andrew Gaze, Australian basketball player *1966 - Martin Keown, English footballer *1968 - Kristin Chenoweth, American singer and actress * 1968 - Laura Leighton, American actress *1969 - Rick Fox, Bahamian basketball player * 1969 - Jennifer Lopez, American actress and singer *1970 - Stephanie Adams, American model and author *1971 - John Partridge, English singer * 1971 - Oliver Jones, Australian singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and audio engineer *1972 - Reverend Jen Miller, American poet, painter, writer and actress *1975 - Torrie Wilson, American wrestler * 1975 - Eric Szmanda, American actor * 1975 - Jamie Langenbrunner, American ice hockey player *1976 - Nate Bump, American baseball player * 1976 - Rafer Alston, American basketball player * 1976 - Tiago Monteiro, Portuguese Formula One driver *1977 - Mehdi Mahdavikia, Iranian football player *1979 - Stat Quo, American rapper * 1979 - Anne-Gaëlle Sidot, French tennis player * 1979 - José Valverde, American baseball player *1979 - Rose Byrne, Australian actress *1980 - Gauge, American pornographic actress * 1980 - Wilfred Bungei, Kenyan middle-distance runner *1981 - Summer Glau, American actress *1982 - Anna Paquin, Canadian-born actress * 1982 - Elise Crombez, Belgian supermodel * 1982 - Thiago Medeiros, Brazilian racing driver *1983 - Daniele De Rossi, Italian footballer *1984 - John Dhani Lennevald, Swedish singer (former A-Teens member) *1985 - Teagan Presley, American pornographic actress * 1985 - Patrice Bergeron, Canadian hockey player *1986 - Justin Berry, American anti-child porn advocate *1987 - Mara Wilson, American actress *1991 - Daveigh Chase, American actress *1998 - Bindi Irwin, daughter of Steve Irwin Deaths *1115 - Matilda, Countess of Tuscany (b. 1046) *1129 - Shirakawa, Emperor of Japan (b. 1053) *1240 - Konrad von Thüringen, fifth Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights *1568 - Prince Don Carlos of Spain (b. 1545) *1594 - John Boste, Catholic saint and martyr (b. 1544) *1739 - Benedetto Marcello, Italian composer (b. 1686) *1768 - Nathanial Lardner, English theologian (b. 1684) *1862 - Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States (b. 1782) *1910 - Arkhip Kuindzhi, Russian painter (b. 1841) *1927 - Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Japanese writer (b. 1892) *1957 - Sacha Guitry, French actor, director, screenwriter and playwright (b. 1885) *1965 - Constance Bennett, American actress (b. 1904) *1966 - Tony Lema, American golfer (b. 1934) *1969 - Witold Gombrowicz, Polish novelist and dramatist (b. 1904) *1970 - Peter de Noronha, Indian businessman (b. 1897) *1974 - James Chadwick, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891) *1980 - Peter Sellers, British comedian and actor (b. 1925) *1986 - Fritz Albert Lipmann, American biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899) *1991 - Isaac Bashevis Singer, Polish-born Yiddish author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1904) *1992 - Sam Berger, Canadian football owner (b. 1900) * 1992 - Arletty, French singer and actress (b. 1898) *1995 - Jerry Lordan, English composer and singer (b. 1934) * 1995 - George Rodger, British photojournalist (b. 1908) *1997 - William J. Brennan, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1906) * 1997 - Saw Maung, Burmese dictator (b. 1928) *2000 - Ahmad Shamlou, Iranian poet (b. 1925) *2001 - Georges Dor, French Canadien author, composer, singer and playwright (b. 1931) *2005 - Richard Doll, English epidemiologist (b. 1912) *2007 - Albert Ellis, American Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist (b. 1913) Holidays and observances *Ecuador - Simón Bolívar Day. *Utah - Pioneer Day (1847). *Ancient Latvia - Jekaupa Diena held. Roman Catholicism * Saint Declan, bishop of Ardmore * Saint Francis Solanus * Saint Christina the Astonishing * Saint Kinga External links * BBC: On This Day * *On This Day in Canada ---- Category:July